The lamp-posts are poetical...the lamp-post really has the whole poetry of man, for no other creature can lift a flame so high and guard it so well. --G K Chesterton, London Times July 24, 1909.

"As she stood looking at it, wondering why there was a lamp-post in the middle of a wood and wondering what to do next, she heard a pitter patter of feet coming toward her..." (C S Lewis, The Chronicles of Narnia)

Thursday, September 11, 2014

Twenty-Five Proverbs to Mull Over

Trust in
the LORD with all your heart

and lean not on your own understanding; in
all your ways acknowledge him,
and he will make your paths straight.
(3:5-6)

Work

Lazy hands
make a man poor,
but diligent hands bring wealth. (10:4)

He who
works his land will have abundant food,
but he who chases fantasies lacks
judgment. (12:11)

Words

He who guards
his lips guards his life,
but he who speaks rashly will come to
ruin. (13:3)

The tongue
has the power of life and death,
and those who love it will eat its fruit.
(18:21)

For
lack of guidance a nation falls,
but many advisers make victory sure.
(11:14)

He who
listens to a life-giving rebuke
will be at home among the wise. (15:31)

A gossip
betrays a confidence;
so avoid a man who talks too much. (20:19)

Wages

Dishonest
money dwindles away,
but he who gathers money little by little
makes it grow. (13:11)

A generous
man will prosper;
he who refreshes others will himself be
refreshed. (11:25)

If a man
shuts his ears to the cry of the poor,
he too will cry out and not be answered.
(21:13)

How much
better to get wisdom than gold,
to choose understanding rather than silver!
(16:16)

Will

Commit to the
LORD whatever you do,
and your plans will succeed. (16:3)

Plans fail
for lack of counsel,
but with many advisers they succeed.
(15:22)

A wife of
noble character is her husband's crown,
but a disgraceful wife is like decay in
his bones. (12:4)

Pride goes
before destruction,
a haughty spirit before a fall. (16:18)

It is not
good to have zeal without knowledge,
nor to be hasty and miss the way. (19:2)

Many are the
plans in a man's heart,
but it is the LORD's purpose that
prevails. (19:21)

Wisdom

He who walks
with the wise grows wise,
but a companion of fools suffers harm.
(13:20)

Many a man
claims to have unfailing love,
but a faithful man who can find? (20:6)

A fool shows
his annoyance at once,
but a prudent man overlooks an insult.
(12:16)

A man of many
companions may come to ruin,
but there is a friend who sticks closer
than a brother. (18:24)

He who
conceals his sins does not prosper,
but whoever confesses and renounces them
finds mercy. (28:13)

The first to
present his case seems right,
till another comes forward and questions
him. (18:17)

The glory of young men is
their strength,
gray hair the splendor of the old. (20:29)